I would suggest to you that you may want to rethink getting a different one and telling them it the same gun. I have been involved in serveral situations like that over the years and the parent or relative or friend decided they wanted to see it and it just does not turn out well for anybody.

IMO you should keep the gun.........

A collectible pistol which has been stamped with an importer mark has been defaced, just as if someone had carved his social security number into the barrel, or scratched his name on the side.

Nick,
sorry "mad" was the wrong choice of words. What I should have said was, that you ask for opinions from members of this forum, and when they give you an honest appraisal of the value, you think our logic is some how flawed because you don't agree with what was said.

I think alot of people have been giving you good advice on how to handle the situation. Go out and shoot the gun, you cant hurt the $ value at this point, and as others have said, the value in that gun has nothing to do with money. Its the fact that your mother is willing to spend a considerable sum on gift that she thinks is important to you or your father.

Its like when my kids make trinkets or drawings at school and give them to me at Christmas.
The monetary value is null, but the smiles and the joy they feel giving me these gifts far exceed anything they could ever buy for me.

So don't disappoint her and value the gun as she did when she bought it, and as a gift as it was intended.
"truth is a matter of perception"


Jim

Ditto what Jim said

And the collector market is a funny thing that defies rationale. Watch completed prices on gunbroker.com to begin to understand it.
With or without import markings you have a very nice Luger.
dju

Well said, Jim.

Jim, you have hit it on the head.

cnv2855,

Years from now, when you will no longer have the privilege of conversing with your mother, you will remember the things that she gave you, and why giving them to you was important to her... that will make them important to you. Don't ask me how I know... I'll just say that I've been there and done that...

My Dad brought back a Luger from WW2... it was a mismatched numbered, run of the mill Mauser pistol with about 50% of its original finish. The day my Dad died, it was handed to me. It will never leave my family... because it is priceless to me.

If you mother still has the paperwork from when she bought the gun, maybe you can find out for sure how much it cost... and who sold it to her....you never answered the question about whether or not your Mom could make a mistake in the number of zero's... I know that both of my parents had a hard time remembering details of such things in their final years.

CNV,

John in the previous reply used the word priceless.

1959 was the first time that I had ever handled a Luger. I was living in California and working in a pawn shop. Ever since, I have always wanted to own and shoot a Luger. Back then, I did not know about serial numbers nor matching part number. I also thought that the all Lugers were manufactured at the Luger Factory.

Two years ago, I finally bought my first Luger. I didn't pay a whole lot for it, but as far as I can tell, all the parts are matching. I will never part with it. Whenever I show it to someone, I have yet to hear anyone ask;"How much is it worth?" What is really special about my Luger, is that it is a real part of history.

Your mom bought your Luger for your father as a birthday present. Your mom sounds like a pretty remarkable lady. That's the kind of thing that my wife would do, and I think that is a sign of real class.

The fact that your mom bought that Luger for that very special person-your dad-makes it a real family treasure, and to use John's word, it's value is priceless.

Newluger

sorry, apples and oranges...

Every gun is worth a different price. I am always amused that the Japanese collector friends of mine, feel they got taken when they spend $500 on a Arisaka.... Yet a "shooter" luger is worth $500-$700

As a shooter, everything depends on how nice it looks,
how it feels, how it is mismatched, reblued etc. I have found a "pretty" gun will sell twice as fast as an honest, but well used luger at a show.

Ed

PS: Almost every dealer, who doesn't have several lugers, thinks they are worth $2000-$4000

But as others have said, if these same dealers saw what the selling price actually was on gunbroker, instead of what is asked, yet never sells...

I inherited my grandfather’s artillery Luger. I remember him showing it to me when I was a young child and I was fascinated by it. When I would go to visit my grandparent’s house I would sometimes convince him to get it out of its hiding place in the bookcase and tell me all about it. When he was young (1930’s) he purchased it from a man for a mere $25. Unfortunately that former owner had removed the stock lug due some misunderstanding of the law that he had. There is also a small chip by the safety lever. The gun is in otherwise in good condition, all matching, and the serial number is a little below what is thought to be the range for serial numbers for that year. It is a great and interesting gun. But it didn’t take long in looking at this site and speaking to the knowledgeable people in this community to realize that my gun was a “shooter”. I then didn’t bother to ask the specific value. I was disappointed but even if someone now offered me $10,000 for it I wouldn’t sell it. I’ll keep it forever.
That being said, I’m a little surprised about the low value estimate with the import mark on such an otherwise nice looking Luger. But I’m not an expert and I guess that I just learned something. I’m curious about what the value would be without the Interarms marking on it. A friend of mine recently purchased a beautiful 95%+ S/42 from a local shop but he didn’t notice the former owner’s name engraved on the interior of the wooden grips or initials on the non-matching magazine. I noticed it all as I was showing him how to break it down. He was disappointed at first but his attitude is, “they’re not making any more of them.”

Gary..Good attitude my Friend. Many of the most precious possesions we have will not come with a dollar value. I have several Lugers like the one you speak of and they are not for sale either. They arn't worth much except in stories and memories. That's why they will stay with me. I can always replace dollars..memories are not replaceable.

Good story about your Friend..you are looking AND seeing! Good job!

Jerry Burney

It is one of the great ironies of Luger collecting, that some trivial markings, like importer's marks, can knock a thousand dollars, or more, off a gun's value. Other equally trivial markings, like Kriegsmarine marks, can do just the opposite. I know this must seem irrational to a newcomer to our hobby, but that's just the way it is. Regards, Norm

Gary... The import marks also indicates the good chance that the gun may have been "dipped' which improves the apperance but again detracts from the collector value. There is a time and a place for all guns but the market value in original guns is not very forgiving......

Nick:
This isn't about your Mom getting scammed. It's about your Mom caring enough for your Dad to spend that money to make him happy. It's about your folks giving it to you because they love you. Appreciate their feelings toward each other and toward you.
It's a gift to you - free. Why get upset about it's value?
Forget the scumbag who took advantage of her. You can't do anything about it. But don't hurt her feelings by telling her about it. You never told her about some of your mistakes, so don't tell her about her's.
What you can do is accept and appreciate their love for each other and for you. Say "thanks" and hug them.
God will take care of the scumbag. Just don't let Him be disappointed with you.
Bob